


The Last Petal

by Trappola



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Denial of Feelings, M/M, Overblot (Twisted-Wonderland), Slow Burn, Slow Romance, There will be smut before there's real romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:02:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trappola/pseuds/Trappola
Summary: Post-Ghost Marriage Malleus/Riddle because that story is cute af. Slow burn romance with lots of build up for the two of them, though there's definitely gonna be some juicy smut eventually.--It felt a little strange to have to repeat it. What was likely a small gesture had brought him so much courage. Blue eyes moved to peer through the open door, taking in the preserved rose on the bookshelf. Perhaps he’d been clinging too much to the strange rush of adrenaline the other had given him. “There was a time where I was beginning to lose faith that I could save them.” The redhead exhaled and shrugged his shoulders. “It was your words that were able to keep me going when I thought all was lost.”
Relationships: Malleus Draconia/Riddle Rosehearts
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	The Last Petal

He had to admit, it was nice to hear the bustling of Heartslabyul once more, though he hardly had the energy to participate. There was an overwhelming feeling of relief and even Trey had found it fit to celebrate. The ghost bride was gone. Eliza would never be a threat again now that she had found her true prince. Normally around this time Riddle would have been lecturing everyone to get to bed but even he needed some time to unwind.

The boy twirled the gifted rose in his hand, blue-grey eyes fixated on the center as he spaced out. It was impressive that after everything he’d been through, the rose hadn’t started to wilt or lose petals. 

“Hey, hero of Heartslabyul~” Cater teased, plopping down next to him on the couch in the common room. “Take a photo with me, kay~?” 

Riddle raised a brow. “I’m hardly a hero.” 

“That’s not true! You and Ace have this whole party and everything.”  _ This is hardly  _ my  _ party.  _ If they were truly celebrating for him, it would have been far calmer. “And I’ve already got one with Ace.”

The dorm leader rolled his eyes. “Fine.” 

Cater held up his phone to take a selfie and Riddle raised the rose to partially obscure his smile while the other held up his signature peace sign. It felt wrong not to include it. After all, it was the whole reason he was able to keep going when things were beginning to feel impossible. The ginger beside him grabbed the rose from his hand, peering at the stem for a moment. “Didn’t think you’d break your own rule about picking the roses~”

Riddle rolled his eyes once more, grabbing the flower back from the other. “That’s correct.” It was true—normally he would have lectured someone about plucking the roses, but there was an air that hung around Malleus when he was talking that made it hard to interject. The redhead assumed it was because of how long he’d live or the fact that he was a prince. Perhaps it was even the powers of the fae that made him hang on to every last word of his, but he doubted it.  _ I suppose it would be smart to use those powers to encourage someone to do your bidding _ . But still, it seemed wrong. Despite the fact that, like most people, he didn’t know Malleus very well, it seemed strange for him to use magic to force others to do what he wished. “It needed to be pruned anyway.”

“Eh?” Cater blinked a couple times. “But you’re so strict on using them as decoration after~”

Riddle furrowed his brows slightly. “If I’m expected to interact with a princess, I needed the appearance to go along with it.”

The ginger stared at him for a long while until the corner of his lips curled into a small smile. “That doesn’t sound like our Hero of Heartslabyul to think of something like that.”

The redhead chuckled slightly. “Your instincts are sharp—Malleus gave me the rose.”

“Eh?! Malleus was here?!” A pout formed on the other’s lips. “And near the roses would have been the perfect cam.” He whined, rubbing the back of his head as his shoulders slumped. 

“I doubt he would have been interested in taking a photo. There  _ were  _ more pressing matters at hand.”

“I know, I know~ But it’d only take a second.” His voice quieted into a dejected tone. “If he didn’t ruin it again, that is.” 

Riddle’s lips pressed into a fine line, blue-grey eyes analyzing the curve of each petal. “You’ve had joint classes with him, correct?” Of course he had—this wasn’t the first time the dorm leader had heard Cater whining about Malleus avoiding a photo. Even then it had seemed rude to him—asking someone you hardly knew for a photo just for your own popularity didn’t sit right with him. He’d obliged the third-year, but he also understood why Malleus wouldn’t. “Do you know what he likes? I’d like to thank him.”

“Thank him?” The older boy raised a brow, though Riddle didn’t answer. “Hmm…” Cater tapped his chin, thinking for a moment. “He’s in the Gargoyle Research Society. Maybe like a little gargoyle statue?”

“A statue would automatically make it  _ not  _ a gargoyle, Cater.” The redhead sighed and shook his head, standing up from his seat on the couch. “It’s alright—I’ll ask Sebek and Silver tomorrow.” 

“Eh?!” Cater brought a hand to his chin, “Is that so…?” The boy continued muttering to himself as Riddle exited the room bustling with excitement, too tired and sore to continue with the festivities.

There was still a faint din of excitement when he got to his room. Normally he would have insisted that everyone go to sleep—it was hardly appropriate according to the Queen of Heart’s rules to stay up this late when there wasn’t a holiday or birthday—but even he couldn’t bring himself to end it. The small boy flopped on his bed, letting out an exhausted sigh before pulling the rose from his lapel once more, bringing it to his nose to inhale the sweet scent he adored so much. 

There was something upsetting about a plucked rose. Watching their leaves quickly begin to wilt and fall off the stem—one had even already fallen off while he was battling ghosts. The prefect grabbed his magic pen, concentrating as he brought forth the little bit of magic he could muster to preserve the flower. It’s possible it wouldn’t last—Riddle’s magic was nearly drained. Going further, despite the fact that he was relatively calm, could taint him and push him closer towards another Overblot.

Riddle stood up from his bed once more, wincing slightly at the soreness of his muscles as he moved to place the rose on his bookshelf. He stripped himself of the suit’s jacket and vest, leaving a strange sort of emptiness in their wake. For one day he’d been the King of Heartslabyul. He’d been confident enough to help save those who needed him. Tomorrow, he’d be the tyrannical prefect once more.

* * *

Vorpal seemed disappointed that Riddle wasn’t riding her today. Still, he brought her out for a walk, far too sore to put in the normal effort that he usually put into his club. In fact, it seemed most students were hardly willing to do their normal club activities. Even Sebek, far more energetic than he normally liked, seemed almost quiet compared to his normal demeanor.

“Silver, Sebek. Come here.” He finally mustered the courage, uncertain if he should even be asking someone as protective as Sebek. “I need to think of a gift of Malleus. What would you suggest?”

“Eh?! For Waka-sama?!” As expected, the first year already seemed riled up at the thought. “The greatest gift a  _ human  _ could hope to bestow upon the young master is something useful!” Riddle was already beginning to regret asking. “The young master does not care for frivolous gifts and something useful would be far more beneficial and practical for him! Tea, for example, is often given to him in which he enjoys it in the morning or before his club practices.” Silver let out a sigh, shaking his head as he brought two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Lemons bring out the subtle flavors that Waka-sama enjoys and is one of the rare occasions you will see a gift bring a smile to his lips.” Riddle’s eyes narrowed and his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the first year, knowing full well he wasn’t going to bring Malleus  _ lemons  _ as a gift. “Though for someone of  _ your  _ stature, I highly suggest you do  _ not  _ bring roses! While the young master enjoys planting his own roses from time to time, they’re not the sort that mere humans could even think of growing. Similarly, his grandmother has already gifted him all of the finest tools in the Land of Thorns!”

“Sebek—” Silver attempted to cut the other off as soon as he began to notice how insulted the redhead was becoming. “I think now is the time for you to stop.”

“And furthermore, your hedge maze can hardly compare to that of the young master’s. He’s spent hours and hours pouring his heart and soul into his garden and it is simply incomparable to anything that could be found outside of the Land of Thorns! It would be more likely that you would simply be more a nuisance to someone like the young mas—!”

“Sebek, would you shut  _ up? _ ” The other second year had far more experience with Riddle’s temper, though a part of him wondered if Sebek would even care to be wary of it. It would be possible a swift collaring would keep him from being insulting.

“I see  _ you’re  _ not giving any suggestions to Riddle. If you knew Waka-sama half as well as I did,  _ you’d  _ be giving out advice, too!”

“I didn’t have the chance to with your yelling.” Silver let out a sigh. “Though you should hardly insult someone trying to give the young master a gift.”

Riddle had calmed enough just by the other second year distracting Sebek enough for him to quiet down, though he was still rather annoyed by the casual insults thrown his way. It was strange to think that he had once thought that Sebek would be a valuable dorm member to Heartslabyul. “It’s quite alright.” He sighed, “Thank you both for your help.”  _ Even if it wasn’t helpful.  _ “Bring your horses to the stables and wash up before returning to your dorm.”

The two of them gave a quick, firm acknowledgement before leading their horses to the stables. Blue eyes watched the two as they continued to bicker as they led their horses back to the stables. His lips pressed into a fine line, knowing full well that he needed to take everything Sebek said with a grain of salt, but also suddenly unsure if he should continue with this endeavor of thanking Malleus. Most of his interaction with Diasomnia was with those two and a part of him couldn’t help but wonder if Sebek’s bias against humans was something mirrored by their prefect. It could certainly explain why he didn’t bother showing up for the dorm meetings and why he had suggested that Riddle go save those captured by Elizabeth. 

But still, that seemed wrong. Perhaps it  _ was  _ simply a part of his ancestry that made him easier to believe, but he didn’t need to do anything more than say he hadn’t needed to fear afterall. There was no need for compliments or the rose to give him courage. Riddle would have gone after the students with or without the other’s encouragement.

_ But would I have succeeded?  _

* * *

In the end, Riddle had begged Trey to help him with the tart. It was a nice reprieve, as the third year hadn’t bothered him too much about thanking Malleus  _ or  _ his choice of a gift because really, it was all he could think to give the other. Roses in exchange for a rose seemed silly and judging from Sebek’s rant, it seemed like it might be more of a slight than anything else if his rose garden  _ was  _ better than the one at Heartslabyul.

But here, standing in front of Diasomnia, it seemed like he should have opted for something more grand. Blue eyes took in the grandeur of the castle, wondering what oddities lay inside of it. It was already full of such odd people, and with the dark ambiance, the inside certainly wouldn’t be any less strange.

However, that wouldn’t stop Riddle Rosehearts. He’d already come this far and his efforts in making the strawberry tart would be in vain if he turned back now. And even if it  _ was  _ a disappointment, the Queen of Hearts explicitly stated that thank you gifts must be sent in person. There was no way he could delegate this to another member of Heartslabyul to spare his own pride.

Riddle grasped the knocker, giving it three loud knocks. He waited a long while, grasping the cake box in his hand before the door opened to reveal Lilia in front of him. The vice dorm head blinked a couple times in surprise, opening the door fully. “Riddle? What brings you here?”

The prefect could feel his palms sweating. “Ah—” He lifted the cake box slightly to show it off. “I have a gift for Malleus. Is he here?”

“I’m sorry, he’s out at the moment.” Red eyes glanced down towards the box, the smallest hint of a frown forming on his lips. “Did you make him a cake?”

_ Of course he is.  _ The redhead realized he shouldn’t have expected otherwise. “A tart. Though I must apologize—I didn’t think to make enough for his retainers. I can assure you that I’ve done nothing nefarious with it.”

Lilia’s expression turned into one of pure amusement as he grasped the box carefully from the other. “I’m sure the young master will be more than happy to receive such a gift.” And despite the frown the other had had previously, the smile that the other gave him made him actually believe that he might have done something  _ right _ .

“Please make sure it gets to him safely.” Riddle nodded before taking a step back.

“Riddle—” 

“Hm?”

“Did you make this yourself?” Lilia looked him up and down and there seemed to be something hiding behind the other’s expression that he couldn’t quite grasp.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“Of course not.” The smile grew. “I just wanted to make sure to convey that when he returns.”

Riddle raised a brow, though the other simply closed the door without another response. It was a strange interaction, though he could hardly say that it was any more strange than he’d had with  _ anyone  _ he’d met from Diasomnia, Malleus included.

* * *

The prefect jumped at a slight tapping at the door to his balcony, eyes widening as he took in the sight of green lights twinkling out of existence before finally focusing on what had caused the noise. His brows furrowed, simply watching Malleus Draconia on his balcony for a moment before finally moving to unlock the door.

“Good evening, Riddle.”

Riddle suddenly felt very underdressed in his pajamas. “...Good evening.”

The other seemed to notice his discomfort, eliciting a chuckle. “I suppose it  _ is  _ late. I just wanted to thank you for the tart.”

The prefect watched the other carefully. “You know, you don’t have to thank someone for a thank you gift.”

“A thank you gift…?” He paused for a moment, bringing a hand to his chin as he thought. “For the rose, I assume.”

Riddle nodded before moving to lean against the railing of the balcony. “More or less. It was more so what the rose represented. It would be a little strange to thank you for my own rose.”

“I suppose that’s true. Though I’m curious as to what you believe the rose represented.” The third year moved to join him against the railing, though those piercing green eyes didn’t leave him for even a moment. The redhead allowed a silence to settle between them, which Malleus didn’t appear to mind as he kept his gaze focused on the second year.

It felt a little strange to have to repeat it. What was likely a small gesture had brought him so much courage. Blue eyes moved to peer through the open door, taking in the preserved rose on the bookshelf. Perhaps he’d been clinging too much to the strange rush of adrenaline the other had given him. “There was a time where I was beginning to lose faith that I could save them.” The redhead exhaled and shrugged his shoulders. “It was your words that were able to keep me going when I thought all was lost.”

The black haired boy tilted his head slightly, a hint of amusement falling on his delicate features. “Is that so?” The prince chuckled, “Perhaps I  _ should  _ have feared, then.”

Riddle’s brows furrowed and he shot a glare towards the other. “I  _ still  _ would have tried to save them.”

“Ah—you misunderstand me. I only meant that if I had not gone, I wonder if you  _ would  _ have given up.”

The younger of the two rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m sure that I would have found  _ something  _ to keep me going in your stead.” Malleus remained quiet for a long while and Riddle could feel the other’s gaze on him, though he could hardly bring himself to look at the other. There was something so  _ strange  _ about this situation—to have him here, this late, on his balcony. To not be properly dressed to meet a prince when he’d  _ just  _ complained about not having the proper credentials to meet with a princess.

“It was a hard battle, wasn’t it?”

Riddle blinked a couple times, finally looking back towards the other. A long, black nail moved to push the sleeve of his shirt up slightly, revealing a bruise. “I wouldn’t say it was  _ easy _ .” And in truth, it was probably the most difficult battle he had faced.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be of more help.” 

The redhead shrugged. “You did what was best for you.” Another long silence. Riddle’s heart was pounding inside of his chest, unused to being alone with someone like Malleus Draconia. “Though it’s quite late, I shouldn’t keep you.” The boy stood up from where he was leaning and moved towards the door once more.

He chuckled once more. “You’re hardly keeping me, though I’ll leave you be.” The prince turned his back towards him and Riddle looked him up and down.

“Malleus—” The other turned towards him once more, raising a brow. “Thank you for visiting, though I must ask you to not do so  _ quite  _ so late next time.”

A ghost of a smile formed on the other’s lips. “I’ll keep that in mind. Until next time.”

What once had been Malleus Draconia burst into hundreds of green lights fluttering around. Riddle took a deep breath, moving to where the other had once stood as he reached out to touch one of those dancing specks, only to have them disappear as soon as his finger made contact. 


End file.
